Guiding

[RLeep2]

Guiding as a sideline or for pin money or a way for a young person to augment their income on a now-and-then basis or even as a way to keep your name and presence at a level of visibility in order to be considered for more serious or financially rewarding full time opportunities within the sport (other than guiding) when they occur all sound like part of a good plan to me.

My main misgiving about any of it is that, based on what I've seen over the past decade or so is that the profession seems to me to be badly over saturated and at or beyond carrying capacity.

Or as Lincoln said: "There are too many pigs for the teats.."

 

[troutbert]

Try to find a career that meets these two criteria:

1) Something you enjoy/find satisfying.

2) Pays good money.

Both are important.

 

[JeffK]

One guide I know the Finger Lakes advice is you can be a guide when you want to help people catch fish more than you want to catch fish yourself. If you don't a guide trip is a long day watching people do what you would rather do.

 

[Trails and trout]

The reality is, if you choose to be a guide you will have no ability pay your own way through life. You will not be able to afford a house, health insurance, business insurance, workers comp insurance, a truck, a family, or a retirement plan. Trying to make a career out of what you do for fun is a poor plan. At 17 years old you need to seriously rethink the rest of your life and you better hurry. Sorry, I know that’s not what you want to hear but it’s the real world.

Yeah, I’m not planning on making it my career. But more as experience and teaching people what I love. I definitly don’t want to do it my main source of income but a side job or something idk

 

[Bamboozle]

If you like to fish and want to make money at it part time...

...It might be a whole lot easier to become a "famous Internet fisherman," get yourself a YouTube channel and some sponsors and try a build a reputation. The advantages are many:

No a$$#ole clients to deal with.​

​

No extra gear expenditures or other guiding expenses like licenses, permits or a drift boat.​

​

You can write you own positive comments and have your friends chime in with their lies.​

​

You can profess expertise with everything as long as you don't show your incompetence.​

​

If you suck at casting or catching fish, you can edit out your bad skills and edit in other folks videos of fish being caught, preferably with spinning gear (which also can be edited).​

An added benefit is you can spot burn in your videos & incur the wrath of PAFF members at the same time. 😉​

All kidding aside, if you want to make some PT cash, teach and share your knowledge with other, it may be a better and easier option.

Good luck!!!

 

[jifigz]

Yeah, I’m not planning on making it my career. But more as experience and teaching people what I love. I definitly don’t want to do it my main source of income but a side job or something idk

Here is something that I, as a customer, would ask you, and you should ask this of yourself:

Why would I hire you as a guide? How good are your skills? How advanced are you? Do you excel at something? Do you have rights to special waterways? How deep does your fishy knowledge run?

To be successful, you need to build a reputation. In today's world, that is easier than ever through social media. But why and how would I hire you?

I've said this before on here, and I will say it again, I know "guides" who I would be pissed if I hired. To me, these people barely even know how to fish. Yeah, they passed their CPR certifications and whatever else you need. I have encountered self-proclaimed professionals in real life, and their social medias make them look the part, but then they cannot even cast in real life.

 

[afishinado]

Yeah, I’m not planning on making it my career. But more as experience and teaching people what I love. I definitly don’t want to do it my main source of income but a side job or something idk

Great idea for a part time job.....something you love to do.

I suggest you contact a fly shop and work with them to learn the trade first and eventually get bookings.

Good luck.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

How are your writing skills? Never having hired a guide, the only ones that come to mind are the ones who wind up writing readable magazine and book (and online venue) articles and stories. You could be similarly multi-vocational. The one guide about whom I have specific knowledge was one hired by my father-in-law's former employer when he retired. He worked for an outfitter in the Big Hole area during the season and gave skiing lessons in the winter. I don't recall ever reading or hearing about a guide who was only a guide and nothing else.

 

[bringthepain]

Call TCO and talk to that guy Jake (i think his name is) i believe he started working there as a teenager and now is a guide, full time fishing guy, etc

 

[CRB]

Your only young once. I followed the 20's are my retirement plan. I did all the things that would be impossible to due if your held to a job with rules on attendance and with only 2 weeks off for 10 years.
Yes the money would have made it easier but the freedom you have is more priceless than health and money later on in your life.
I say do your dreams.
You may find more riches at your end of the rainbow.

 

[Drifly]

I had been asked several times over the years if I’d be interested in guiding some folks and I’ve always declined. While I always thought it’d be interesting I think back to something I saw happen on the Bighorn at 3 mile access over 20+ yrs ago. We were gearing up and this guide pulled in w/ 2 sports I think a father/son team something was said and this A….hole proceeds to rip the guide up one side and down the other. The guide handled it quite professionally as he was associated w/ one of the shops out there. Now while I’m pretty mild mannered I’m not sure I could have kept my cool in that situation and I like this sport way too much for that. You never know who your client will be and what their skills are and they’re yours for the day.

 

[poopdeck]

Lighten up Francis. Nobody needs to have their entire life figured out at 17. Nothing wrong with living your dream when you're young and free of the responsibilities that come later in life.

Sgt Hulka has spoken.

 

[caddisflyer]

"Starbucks drinking ways of their youth"
Okay Boomer.

 

[KeviR]

I have a friend whose son found a shop out west (Idaho I think) that hires several seasonal guides each year and puts them through a guide school before they work the season. I think they even had a bunkhouse where he lived for the summer. He had to work the whole summer, but he made some great friends, got to fish some great rivers in his off time, got really good at rowing and fishing, and made a little money. Looking back, I would loved to have been able to do something like that for a summer.

 

[Larry]

Before you take another step I strongly recommend you acquire “Fly-Fishing for Sharks, An American Journey” by Richard Louv. You might even be able to get it free form your local public library. But I must warn you it’s very depressing and an indictment of the sport fishing industry. It will bring you both joy and sorrow, but not where you would expect them. For example, sorrow in the chapter “Lodge Life” where the author encounters with those who want to turn our sport into golf course type country club. And joy in an encounter when the author meets a retired owner of a guide service and they go bushwhacking for wild brookies in New Hampshire. This isn’t a novel. Mr. Louv is a journalist and a fisherman.
And you will enjoy some of the people he meets on the way. Another comes to mind when he meets up with one of the earliest TV show hosts, who still loves to go crappie fishing. You will come away with a fair assessment of our sport. Best of Luck on whatever you choose. Larry

 

[krayfish2]

I’m the ideal client. I’m a bad caster (in the conventional sense, I can hold my own trick shot wise on small streams), I don’t mend well, I don’t listen, I’m impatient, I fish fast and I like to cover more water than any guide I’ve ever hired was willing to walk. I don’t like nymphing. I don’t try to figure out picky fish, I move until I find some that are less picky. If I can’t find any not picky ones, I’d just as soon go get wings and beer. Guides love me.

To the OP. Just make sure you really want to do it. Fishing is my favorite hobby in the world. Personally, I wouldn’t want to turn it into a job. Because inevitably, you’ll have clients like me. (I’ve realized that I’m a bad client, and haven’t booked a guided trip in years, but it took a few guides having to deal with me for me to figure that out.)

Edit: kray - In light of the above, do I still have that standing offer to float with you? I promise I won’t make you stop at every trib and hike a half mile up each one with me. 😛

Yes, we can do a float. Don't worry, I zip right on by feeders. You wouldn't even know they're there.

 

[krayfish2]

I want to hear more of that story!

To the original poster.... It's a great way to learn a lot of life lessons, familiarize yourself with close work / team building and a good way to force yourself to learn different facets of the sport. At your age, try it, learn and enjoy. Maybe it's your cup of tea and you will become a legendary guide or maybe you learn that it's something that is fulfilling as part-time work. If you're going into it because you want to be the next Kelly Galloup, probably not going to pan out.

To elaborate on that story, the nephew wanted to learn how to guide and told me that's what his goal was. I told him that I would give him a chance to see what it was like. He would guide me the whole day while I fished and we'd see how it would go. He had done some rowing but not a whole lot. I selected Stockport to Long Eddy for our float on the main stem of the Delaware. That's a fairly long float that has a couple of mile long pools without current and the last 2 miles of it is basically through a lake. If you don't row, you don't get to the takeout 😁. We started out and I basically fished wherever he put me but always asked him if we could go somewhere else. I made him take me from side to side for the first two or three miles. I kept asking him to change my nymph rig because I wasn't catching a lot of fish like I'd seen online. I kept asking him about the flies and why he was choosing those flies. I kept asking him about history of the area and kept pointing out landmarks. After a little while I decided to blind cast to dry and every time we got to faster water I would hold the fly right in his face and ask him to put more of the floaty stuff on it 😉🤣. He would panic and get flustered, hit stuff or lose control of the boat.

I didn't punish him but I made him work the whole day and anyone that knows that river realizes that that is a LONG float. I let him realize that rowing somebody for 10 hours and watching them fish isn't the same as going out and fishing for 10 hours. I think he began to realize that he had a lot to learn about rowing the boat, reading the water, dealing with people, tying knots and making conversation. At the end of it I offered to let him use my boat if he wants to guide every now and then... he said no thank you.

You can enjoy it more than fishing yourself a lot of the time. Especially when you teach somebody how to cast, fix their cast, how to read water, mend and catch some fish. Some people catch their first fish, some people catch more fish than they've ever caught before and some catch their personal biggest fish. You can see the excitement in their eyes and I'm just as happy as they are. Fair amounts of fist bumping and high fives.

To those saying "I'd never pay for a guide"... insert unkind words from me 😁. If you are that well-versed in every facet of fly fishing and don't care to learn / try something new, hats off. You are legendary (in your own mind I suppose). If you don't hire a guide because you're miserable and a recluse, I understand and please don't. If you don't do it because you're a cheapskate....I understand because that's why I never hired one 😉. Some hire to experience something new. Some hire to learn about the sport or to sample a new body of water. Some might do it because they only get three or four days on the water all year due to their employment, love the sport and want to maximize the enjoyment for the few days they actually get out there (this might cover almost 50% of the people I guide). While I'm kind of a people person, when fishing.... it's usually me, a buddy or two and I try to stay away from everyone I encounter. I will often use my limited time out there on bad water or at awkward times to avoid as many people as possible 👍😁.

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

Before you take another step I strongly recommend you acquire “Fly-Fishing for Sharks, An American Journey” by Richard Louv. You might even be able to get it free form your local public library. But I must warn you it’s very depressing and an indictment of the sport fishing industry. It will bring you both joy and sorrow, but not where you would expect them. For example, sorrow in the chapter “Lodge Life” where the author encounters with those who want to turn our sport into golf course type country club. And joy in an encounter when the author meets a retired owner of a guide service and they go bushwhacking for wild brookies in New Hampshire. This isn’t a novel. Mr. Louv is a journalist and a fisherman.
And you will enjoy some of the people he meets on the way. Another comes to mind when he meets up with one of the earliest TV show hosts, who still loves to go crappie fishing. You will come away with a fair assessment of our sport. Best of Luck on whatever you choose. Larry

Great book. I will add the story in the book about the former airline pilot who dumped his pilot career to start a fledgling fly shop and guide service. When asked about the biggest difference between flying planes and the fishing career, he responded "Adjusting to poverty."

 

[Trails and trout]

A lot of weird advice here.

Can't pay your way through life? Are all the tens of thousands of guides in this country on welfare?

I am not a guide but if you really want to find out if it's your path I would first recommend hiring a guide and get a feel for what they do. Then look into getting a job in a fly shop that runs a guide service, even if it’s just sweeping the floor. Let it be known what you want to do. This may involve moving possibly a great distance from home. What are you willing to sacrifice?

Call TCO and talk to that guy Jake (i think his name is) i believe he started working there as a teenager and now is a guide, full time fishing guy, etc

Deffinitlu will

If you like to fish and want to make money at it part time...

...It might be a whole lot easier to become a "famous Internet fisherman," get yourself a YouTube channel and some sponsors and try a build a reputation. The advantages are many:

No a$$#ole clients to deal with.​

​

No extra gear expenditures or other guiding expenses like licenses, permits or a drift boat.​

​

You can write you own positive comments and have your friends chime in with their lies.​

​

You can profess expertise with everything as long as you don't show your incompetence.​

​

If you suck at casting or catching fish, you can edit out your bad skills and edit in other folks videos of fish being caught, preferably with spinning gear (which also can be edited).​

An added benefit is you can spot burn in your videos & incur the wrath of PAFF members at the same time. 😉​

All kidding aside, if you want to make some PT cash, teach and share your knowledge with other, it may be a better and easier option.

Good luck!!!

haha thanks, I do have a YouTube channel but it’s kinda small rn only about 1200 subscribers, I gotta work on better quality production besides just chest cam of me flinging bugs at trout

 

[Clams]

Sgt Hulka has spoken.

You mean spoken and then deleted